Caring For Your Car In The Winter
If you are moving from an area where you don't really get winters and sunshine is
abundant year-round, then you are probably oblivious to the measures you must take to ensure that your car will start in the cold mornings and get you to your destination safely.
One of the first things that should be checked on a monthly basis, winter or no winter, is the anti-freeze. This usually comes in an anti-freeze/coolant combo fluid, meaning you need it year-round just to make sure your car runs smoothly.
This does exactly what its name suggests: it keeps your engine cool so it doesn't over-heat, and it also makes sure that your engine doesn't freeze when temperature get below-freezing. This is crucial if you want to extend the life of your car and make sure it survives the cold weather.
Another important safety feature is to make sure that you put on winter tires. If you are from southern California or Arizona, you probably don't know what it it's like to drive on ice. It is scary. Especially if you don't have the right tires on your car.
Regular tires provide good traction for pavement, but winter tires are thicker and have deeper grooves to make sure that they are less likely to slip on ice and slush. This is very important to make sure that your car is able to stop, turn, and prevent sliding on the icy roads.
Some winter tires also have spikes on them. This allows your tires to go over packed ice and snow and not get stuck. Regular tires get your car stuck on icy roads because they are unable to grip the pavement and just slide, or don't move at all.
Spikes puncture the ice and allow the tires to keep moving because they are able to have some sort of traction and resistance against the road. Be sure to check the laws in your state on spiked tires because states usually require that they be removed after the winter months.
Since tires can be expensive and a hassle to change before and after the seasons, some people prefer to just put chains on their tires. Though chains are not as reliable as winter tires, they make sure you get the proper traction on the road to drive safely.
The tire chains go over the outside of your tire, and allow the tires to not get stuck in the ice. Since they are much cheaper the get than all new tires, many people turn to these is the winter months only last a short while in their area.
Another important factor in caring for your car in winter is often overlooked by people new to the snow. This is scraping your windows. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it takes you five extra minutes in the morning, and doing a good job is important for your safety and the safety of other drivers on the road.
Make sure that you scrape all of your windows completely, not just your windshield. You also need to be able to see clearly out of your back window, the driver and passenger-side windows and your back-seat windows.
Also make sure that you scrape them completely. Only scraping one side of your windshield can leave you partly blind, and may cause an accident. Also, left-over patches of ice or frost on your wind-shield will be a reflector for the sun, causing it to hit your eyes and impair your vision.
All of these preventative measures must be taken in colder climates with harsh or even mild winters. Making sure that these are taken care of will ensure your safety, the safety of other drivers, and prolong the life of your vehicle.
by: Jack Landry
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